The Colorado Horsecare Foodbank, which was started last year by Evergreen resident Juliana Lehman, continues to help horse owners who are down to their last straw.

And now the organization is looking for a little help from local residents in an effort to land a $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. The money would enable the nonprofit to buy haying equipment and harvest donated fields of hay for horse owners in need.

A fire at Keys on the Green on April 16 caused about $50,000 in damage to the roof and walls of the restaurant.

A call for a possible structure fire came in at 9:24 a.m. to Evergreen Fire/Rescue, and it was initially thought the fire was in the kitchen, according to Fire Chief Garry Dejong. When firefighters arrived, the building was being evacuated.

“When we got there, there was smoke coming from the eaves,” Dejong said. “It was pushing out pretty good.”

Our mountain communities lie across the foothills above Denver like a string of shining pearls. Evergreen is at the geographic center of that string and often becomes the hub for groups and events that embrace the many communities in the greater mountain area. The Mountain Area Earth Day Fair has drawn the eco-minded from all areas to Evergreen for more than 20 years and has become the hub that brings together the organizations, nonprofit groups, government agencies, schools and businesses in our area that share a passion for sustainability in our communities.

After serving as a member of the Evergreen Fire Protection District board since November 2007, George Goldbach officially seconded his last motion at the regular meeting April 13.

“I have to tell you how hard this was, sitting on this side of the table for a change,” said Goldbach, who has had a 50-year career in the fire service as a paid professional, including a stint as chief of West Metro Fire Rescue.

The 2010 Ice Melt Barrel on Evergreen Lake officially hit water on Monday, April 12, at 14:35:43, but two days after the steel drum was spotted in a floating position, the barrel disappeared off everyone’s radar screens.

It was the latest splashdown in the four-year history of the fund-raiser, which is staged by Mountain Foothills Rotary members.

The Evergreen Park and Recreation District has received a $107,000 Open Space Joint Venture Grant to make landscaping and other outdoor improvements at Evergreen Lake. The district is projected to spend $43,000 for a total project cost of $150,000.

Based on the grant application, the bulk of the money, or $77,000, is to add 2 inches of asphalt to the parking lot “to even it out and clean it up,” said Dick Wulf, park district consultant. “It’s not in very good shape.”